Here’s a secret, writer: your first sentence doesn’t matter. Your first chapter doesn’t matter. You’ll return to these pieces again and again as you write and revise your story, discovering your characters, perfecting your plot. These pieces will change, and for the better.

As participant Jessica W. said, “NaNoWriMo is the chance to abandon rules and embrace the ‘what ifs.'”

And the only important thing about the beginning? To begin.

So start with some action. Start with dialogue. Start with your character falling asleep at their desk and poking themselves in the eye with a pencil, or with flying monkeys, or with underwater amusement parks and a robot dog who ends up being the villain.